So, it would seem according to the recent pronouncement of one particular world leader, that I live in shithole country. Mind you, while I won’t pretend I wasn’t surprised, I’m not particularly bothered. Shitholes can have some real appeal. To describe the country I’ve moved to (or back to, I should say, since I previously lived many years in […]
Way out in the far western reaches of Zambia, close to the Angolan border, is a seldom visited National Park which is home not only to the second largest Wildebeest migration in Africa, but also to a brand new camp that’s part of one of the most ambitious African conservation projects ever undertaken, Time and Tide’s […]
We may be a tiny travel company (with a great big nose) but when Conde Nast Traveler magazine published its “2017 Top Travel Specialists” list last week, we blushed hot pink to see that Trufflepig has more experts listed than any other outfit. Our very own Dan, Rudston, Tyler and Sebastian, for Italy, Spain, Southern Africa and Myanmar. CNT describe them as “the […]
Cape Town remains one of our favourite cities in the world. It’s just our kind of place, dynamic, fun, constantly reinventing itself, achingly pretty, in short piggy as all get out. I’ve just returned from my yearly jaunt down to the mother city and wanted to share a quick some fresh digs I discovered when […]
Conventional wisdom holds that the king and queen of safari travel in Southern Africa have been always been South Africa and Botswana. We say conventional wisdom be damned. South Africa these days seems to be a victim of its own success, it’s popularity means that even despite a weak currency it’s getting more and more […]
I have writer’s block. I feel as though I have a homework assignment looming over my shoulder and try as I might to commit words to page, I keep failing. I’ve just been to North Island in the Seychelles and the problem is that I am trying to convert into words something so wonderful that […]
One of the most elusive animals in the African bush, and pretty much the holy grail of wildlife sightings for any die hard safari nut, is the peculiar pangolin. I’d been going on safari for nearly 2 decades before my first sighting, on my latest trip to Zimbabwe, and as you’ll see, even then it […]
On my most recent visit to Tanzania, I finally managed to visit a place that’s been on Trufflepig’s radar for several years now – Chem Chem, and its smaller but equally charming sibling, Little Chem Chem. Hopes were high and I am glad to say we were not disappointed. The lodge and accompanying tented camp that the owners […]
From the air, the herds looks like a vast black and tan army on the march. Endless columns of Wildebeest move south to the Mara River, assembling in staging areas as if preparing for an invasion of the Serengeti. Almost two million animals make the crossing, in groups of a few hundred to tens of […]
If you’ve ever dreamed about going on safari but figured it was too expensive, think again. Wilderness Safaris’ 6 Countries Summer Special is back and this year its better than ever. Wilderness Safaris began offering the Six Countries Special a few years ago, to run during the North American winter, and each year it seems […]
On paper I’m a trip planner, but when I get right down to it I’m a photographer who loves being in Africa. I love snapping a photo of a camouflaged leopard, or capturing the majesty of a herd of elephants on the move. Birds have always been less of a priority—they’re hard for a photographer. […]
I am always amazed that in the space of just two days I can travel from a cold and rainy Toronto and be plonked down by a light aircraft about as far away as one can get in the wilds of Africa. It gets me every time, and it’s just one of the many things […]
About four years ago I visited the original Mara Plains and it was fantastic, becoming easily one of my favourite camps in Kenya. Since then it has been completely rebuilt, and I have to say, now it’s even better. Mara Plains is run by Great Plains Conservation, a company which has slowly but surely built […]
The non-believers among you might consider skipping churches when making your sightseeing hit list; on a trip to Ethiopia, this is where you’d be making your biggest mistake. In Tigray you’ll find the oldest Christian sites in the country, and they are absolute must-sees, even if you’re of the atheistic persuasion. Church fatigue is a […]
As far as we’re concerned, there is no such thing as too much coffee (we’ve had an even stronger addiction that usual lately). The shakes and the racing heart beat after your fourth cup of the morning—that’s not too much caffeine, that simply means you’re doing it right. You’ll be glad to hear that Ethiopia […]
Who says wildlife and farm life can’t co-exist? At Trufflepig we jumped the fence long ago and have never looked back. Our planners are passionate about safari and we spend a lot of time on African soil. From community-owned conservancies in Kenya, to rustic wine farms on the Cape, to bushman initiation hunts in the Kalahari, we […]